Hydraulic amalgamator



(No Model.) B. J. KENNEDY.

HYDRAULIC AMALGAMATOR.

Patented June 6, 1893.

NTTE TATES ROBERT J. KENNEDY, OE REDLANDS, CALIFORNIA, AssiGNOR OE TWO-THIRDS TO GEORGE H. oRAETs, OE SAME PLACE, AND GEORGE BOALICH,

OF COLTON, CALIFORNIA.

HYDRAULIC AMALGAMATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 498,979, dated June 6,1893.

Application filed July 6, 1892. SerialNo. 439,138- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, ROBERT JAMES KEN- NEDY, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Redlands, in the county of San Bernardino and Stateof California, have invented a new and useful Hydraulic Amalgamator, ofwhich the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide means for separating gold morerapidly, cffectively and economically than has heretofore been possible.

My invention is adapted for placer mining, for separating gold fromblack sand and for separating gold from crushed quartz and in fact forthe separation of free gold from any disintegrated material with whichit may be mixed.

My invention broadly stated comprises the combination of a receptaclehaving an elevated discharge opening; a charge of amalgamating materialsuch as a body of quicksilver in the bottom of such receptacle; an inletconduit or supply pipe arranged to discharge a stream against suchamalgamating material. In practice as shown the inlet or supply pipe hasits receiving mouth higher than the discharge opening of the receptacleor amalgamating chamber, and its lower end is arranged to dischargedownward obliquely against the body of quicksilver in the amalgamatingchamber.

My invention also comprises the combination with the amalgamatingchamber and the inlet conduit, of a partition arranged at the front ofthe amalgamating chamber to form a dead water chamber.

My invention also comprises various other features hereinafter morefully set forth.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention.

Figure 1 isa perspective vertical longitudinal mid-section of anamalgamator embodying my invention. In this view the device is shown inoperation. w--co Fig. 2 indicates the line of section. Fig. 2 is aperspective side view of an amalgamating device embodying my invention.A portion of the side of the chamber is removed to expose thearrangement of parts. Fig. 3 is a reduced end elevation of the same.

A A indicates the receptacle in which A indicates the amalgamatingchamber which is provided with a substantially vertical downwardlytapering rear wall at having an outlet or discharge opening a which isarranged at a distance above the bottom I) of the chamber Which bottomis slightly concave and is provided with an opening I) closed by a capb" and arranged to allow the discharge of the amalgam from theamalgamating chamber when desired. The front Wall 13 of the amalgamatingchamber is preferably inclined and downwardly tapering as shown, andupon such Wall is placed the supply pipe 0. I prefer to make this pipewith an enlarged receiving mouth 0 a tapering body and a contracteddischarge opening or nozzle 0 which is arranged to discharge into theamalgamating chamber below the outlet or discharge a of the amalgamatingchamber, and obliquely against the bottom of the amalgamating chamberand the body of mercury therein.

D D are the side walls of the chamber and are preferably extended abovethe level of the opening a. a distance in order to wholly inclose thesupply pipe 0 and allow sufficient fall to operate the device bygravity. The end Walls a, B, are wedge shape the upper portion being thewidest, thus forming a ohamber which is wider at the top than at thebottom, the object of which I will hereinafter explain.

In order to prevent the sand from depositing in the chamber A out of thereach of the stream discharged from the supply pipe I provide avertically inclined transversely arranged partition E which extends fromabove the wall of the discharge opening a to a point just above thedischarge of the pipe 0, thus forming to the rear of the amalgamatingchamber a dead water chamber A. The stream discharging from the conduitG creates a suction, current or swirl from the dead water chamber and agentle circulation of water is thus maintained between such chamber andthe amalgamating chamber which prevents any settling of the sediment orsand in the amalgamating chamber out of the reach of the dischargingstream. If such dead water chamber were not provided a portion of thesand or sediment would settle in the rear of the amalgamating chamber inthe corners thereof and the operation of the amalgamator would not be sothorough and efficient, since the heavy material which would thus settlewould be that material which should be scoured by being forcibly broughtinto contact with the quick-silver bybeing repeatedly carried thereagainst by the discharging stream and if such dead water chamber werenot provided such heavy and rusty material might fail to becomeamalgamated.

F represents a fragment of a sluice box arranged to convey material intopipe 0 and F represents a sluice arranged to convey the dischargedmaterial from the amalgamating chamber.

In Fig. 1, I have shown two amalgamators arranged in aseries thussubjecting the material to the amalgamating action twice; in some casesone amalgamator will do the work perfectly, and in other cases it may beadvantageous to place a series of amalgamators each subsequent onereceiving the tailings of the one in advance. In practice the materialis passed through a forty mesh screen G into the supply pipe 0 throughwhich it is forced byhydraulic pressure and issues from the contractedopenings with considerable velocity which carries the water and materialagainst the mercury H in the bottom of the chamber A. All the free metalis immediately amalgamated, while the lighter particles of debris arecarried up by the flowing water and are discharged through the openinga. The chamberA being wider at the top than at the bottom the force ofthe outflowing current is not as great as the force of the current nearthe bottom of the chamber, and consequently the heavier particles willhang in suspension in the outflowing current which is practically all atthe rear of the chamber and next to the wall a. The force of the streamdischarging from the pipe 0 into the bottom of the chamberA at the frontof the chamber causes a suction which draws the water from the front ofthe chamber, and so gradually attracts the heavier particles which aresuspended in the upward flowing stream, so that they are again and againdrawn down into the supply stream and forced against the mercury so thatif there is gold surface exposed on any particle of the material, itwill be brought into contact with the mercury and amalgamated.

My invention is to be distinguished from those amalgamators in which thematerial to be amalgamated is forced through a body of quick-silver. Andis also to be distinguished from those. inventions in which the inletconduit is arranged to cause the material to be amalgamated to simplyflow over the surface of the mercury without being forcibly dischargedthereagainst. In my invention the stream of material is discharged fromthe contracted conduit into the chamber with considerable velocity andthe matter which contains metal is forced against the mercury and thenrises and is held in suspension in the water of the amalgamating chamberuntil it is drawn back into the stream which is dis charged from theconduit and is thus forced against the mercury over and over again,scouring the surface of the particles of matter until the metal is allamalgamated, thus freeing the rock of its weight of metal and allowingit to be carried off by the stream.

The action of the stream discharging against the body of mercury causesthe surface of the mercury to be kept scoured and free from impurities.

Now, having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of an amalgamating chamber having an elevateddischarge opening; a supply pipe having its receiving mouth higher thanthe discharge opening of the amalgamating chamber and its lower endarranged to discharge toward and against the bottom of theamalgamatingchamber and a partition arranged at the front of theamalgamating chamber to form a dead water chamber.

2. In an amalgamator the combination of an amalgamating chamber providedwith a substantially vertical downwardly tapering rear wall having adischarge opening arranged above the bottom of the chamber, and providedwith an inclined downwardly tapering front wall; the supply pipearranged upon such sloping front wall and having an enlarged receivingmouth and a contracted discharge opening arranged to discharge into theamalgamating chamber substantially below the horizontal plane of thedischarge opening of the amalgamating chamber, and a body of mercuryplaced in'snch chamber.

8. The amalgamator set forth comprising the combination of anamalgamating cham her having an elevated discharge opening; a charge ofamalgamating material in such chamber; an inlet pipe arranged todischarge a stream against such amalgamating material, and a partitionarranged at the front of the amalgamating chamber to form a dead waterchamber.

at. The combination of the receptacle having the elevated discharge; theinclined tapering inlet pipe arranged to direct a stream downwardobliquely against the floor of the receptacle and the intermediatepartition arranged above the discharge of the inlet pipe to divide thereceptacle below the outlet into the amalgamating and dead waterchambers.

5. The combination in an amalgamator of a suitable amalgamating chamberhaving an elevated discharge; an inclined tapering conduitarranged withits discharge mouth within such amalgamating chamber and terminatingabove-the bottom of such chamber, adapted and arranged to dischargeobliquely against a body of mercury placed in such chamber.

6. An amalgamator comprising the combiand adapted to direct thedischarge downnation of an amalgamating chamber adapted ward againstsuch mercury. to contain a body of mercury and having an Los Angeles,California, June 14, 1892.

elevated discharge; a tapering conduit hav- ROBERT J. KENNEDY. 5 ing acontracted discharge mouth arranged Witnesses:

above the bottom of the amalgamating oham- JAMES R. TOWNSEND,

her and the body of mercury placed therein, GEO. H. CRAFTS.

